Where the Other is Coming From
by AZ1087653
Summary: "Yokozawa-san!" Ritsu choked as he too started to fumble for papers. "Are you okay?" That last question was just as surprising to Onodera as it was to Yokozawa. "I'm fine." The man mumbled as he finished piling papers into the other's hand and stood up. "You?" It took some effort not to sink back into hating the younger man, but he managed.


I am unsure if I should rate this T or M. There is heavy swearing, but nothing else that really warrants an M rating, so I am going to rate it as T since the swearing is nothing new to what I used when I was in high school.

I do not own, nor do I want to own. I'd probably screw it up if I did.

***Edited***

I want to mention that if someone finds a mistake in anything you can certainly tell me, but do it in a mature style please. I like constructive criticism.

I also want to give a timeline for this piece. This takes place in what the storyline would be closer to when Onodera is willing to admit his feelings (based on Sensei's countdown). At this point in the story I believe Yokozawa would have foregone needing to add the -san at the end of the name. I live with Japanese roommates and have asked more than enough questions on the subject. While in a work situation the younger would use the -san, but for personal reasons that -san can be dropped, especially in a romantic setting unless the -honorific is used as part of a pet name.

Please, if you have ways in which I can correct, don't just tell me I need a beta- point out specific parts so I can go in and correct them. Thank you.

/GG/

Where the Other is Coming From

The weather outside was a little overcast, but the temperature was warm and the birds were singing. Pedestrians were running helter-skelter in multiple directions; dodging traffic as they ran to make the changing lights or hail taxis on the morning commute. Yes, outside it was a good day.

On the other hand, inside the vehicle, the air was so thick it could have been cut with a knife. The lone occupant was gripping the steering wheel so tight all circulation had been cut off from his whitening fingers. His brow was furrowed as he glared at the eighteenth fucking light that had the audacity to stop him as he was running late for work. As much as he loved the kid, her tweenage personality was grating on his nerves in that moment because he was now seriously running behind and there would be hell to pay.

What ten year old child seriously needed to change her clothes half a dozen times before going to primary school? Hiyori Kirishima, that's who; and thanks to her incessant need to wear the perfect ensemble to school, Takafumi Yokozawa was running late for work. Add the fact that he had hit every bloody red light on the strip and the reader can now understand his annoyance with the way the day was panning out.

He wanted a cigarette. The craving was enough to just about send him over the edge. Per the kid's request though, he (and Zen) had given up smoking in the vehicle or the house. After her school project on how tobacco was just as bad for everyone else around, both men had cut back and promised to keep her lungs as clean as possible. That was just the start though; Yokozawa and Kirishima both knew that.

Yokozawa glared at the light, willing it with his mind to change blue* so he could start moving forward. His phone vibrated on the seat next to him and he wanted to throw the blasted thing out the window. The short bursts of buzzing were giving him a headache which only made the drive that much worse.

The man picked up the phone and read the message:

_Thanks for dropping Hiyori off at school this morning. When you get home tonight I'll thank you properly since she'll be at my parent's. _

This message caused the driver of the car to turn beet red and almost start to drive forward. That would have been a bad idea since there was a car only a couple of feet from his front bumper. Yokozawa could just imagine all the shit that would go down had he wrecked the car, been late for work, and been too pissed off to get it up once reaching the bedroom.

In case of fact it was probably a good idea he was so angry or he may have started daydreaming and that would have left him with a serious problem in his pants. The last time he'd had an issue like that it was taken care of at work and both Takano and Isaka had managed to walk in on Kirishima giving him head in a private conference room. That's the kind of thing that never goes away at Marukawa Publishing. Yokozawa would forever know that whenever he had a conversation with either man, in the back of their minds they would be picturing him with an important part of his anatomy inside someone else's mouth.

Fuck work! Fuck life! Fuck driving! And fuck every fucking red light in the fucking city!

/GG/

He exited the subway and walked at a leisurely pace toward work. At least on the outside the man with big green eyes looked calm but on the inside his mind was arguing with itself. That had been happening quite frequently for him and the strange part; someone who wasn't supposed to be in his head usually ended up winning. How in the hell was that supposed to work?

Ritsu Onodera's heart skipped a beat when he finally admitted to himself the reason why. The reason was quite simple actually. Takano-san. There was no other word or sentence needed; just the name was answer enough. The slightly older man was always the reason for anything going on within the young editor's head.

Take the prior night for instance. Takano-san had come knocking on the door at around 12:30 in the morning. Ritsu had been asleep and enjoying a dreamless time when the knocking, doorbell, and vibration of his phone had all but made him jump out of bed with an unattractive shriek. Thinking something wrong, the man had raced to the door only to find his boss/ex-lover/current (who knows what) standing at the door with a slight scowl adorning his handsome face.

Wait, had he really though the word handsome? Onodera smacked his head in frustration and let out a sigh. Takano really was messing with his head. That would have been why after all was said and done the two had ended up kissing on the sofa. After the kissing, the fondling had taken place. This always ended up with Ritsu a quivering mess of sweat, cum, and saliva from Takano-san's mouth.

Following his orgasm the two had spent a few hours making love on various pieces of furniture throughout Onodera's apartment. While it had seemed like a good idea at the time (because he wasn't about to admit he did enjoy the sex), the cleaning bill for spunk removal from the upholstery was going to be ludicrous.

Sleep finally came again sometime around seven in the morning and it hadn't been very restful. The entire time Ritsu had felt as if something was missing. When he finally woke he saw that Takano-san had left him a note saying he needed to go to fix an issue with one of his writers. Ritsu had felt like something was missing because the man wasn't in bed with him. This idea made his heart pound and also made him feel sick to his stomach. What in the hell was going on that sleeping without the man had started to play with his mind?

That answer was also simple, but not something Onodera was anywhere near admitting, to even himself. Instead he just filed it away and hoped that the file would blink into oblivion and leave him alone. It was always so much easier to ignore the truth than to admit it in the first place.

Besides, it wasn't like the two of them could go around admitting their relationship at work. One; it was unethical for an underling to be fraternizing with his or her superior. Two; he had a job to do and he wanted to prove to himself he was good at said job. Three; Takano's ex-(whatever Yokozawa was) scared the living tar out of him and he didn't want to cause any more waves than had already been had.

No, the only thing he needed to do was continue working. That and do his best to keep what was going on in his private life, private. This, was of course, easier said than done, especially if one has to work in such close contact with the one who is currently causing those wonderful orgasms that were starting to occur on a much more frequent basis.

/GG/

Onodera walked into the building and made way to the elevator. He was right on time; which was rare since he usually got up and went to work early. Takano was really fucking with him if he was arriving just on time. Ritsu didn't like not being ahead of the game, even if it wasn't required of him.

The man stepped inside of the elevator and pressed the button. Just as the door was closing a blur raced into the elevator, smashed into the wall, and knocked into Ritsu, causing his satchel to fall to the ground. The case broke open and out flew a bunch of papers which, thanks to the air conditioning, did float around for a short time while the other figure stood up.

A slight groan was emitted from the blur that had now taken on human shape. "Sorry." The figure said as it leaned down to pick up papers from the floor.

Yokozawa hadn't meant to come barreling into any enclosed spaces, but with the way his day had started, he didn't want to miss the elevator and need to wait a second longer. Far be it for him to crash into someone and not help them out, so he lowered himself to one knee and started to pick up the papers, which he noticed were story boards. Not only that, but they were for a manga Takano's conquest was working on.

The older man slowly looked up and his eyes went wide before his normal glower appeared. He wasn't about to quit picking up the papers though, so he ignored the now surprised stare of the younger man. This was just not his day.

"Yokozawa-san!" Ritsu choked as he too started to fumble for papers. "Are you okay?" That last question was just as surprising to Onodera as it was to Yokozawa.

"I'm fine." The man mumbled as he finished piling papers into the other's hand and stood up. "You?" It took some effort not to sink back into hating the younger man, but he managed.

"Yes." Ritsu stuttered. Not only was he embarrassed, but now he was also on edge. The man scared him and he wasn't afraid to admit that fact.

Both men stared as the elevator continued on the way up. Then both men reached for the handrail as the elevator started to shake uncontrollably. Neither was willing to admit how much the shaking scared each other, but it was undeniable after looking at the face of the other. Ritsu was as white as a sheet as the lights blinked on and off after the shaking stopped. Yokozawa wasn't as white, but his eyes told a different story; he was scared shitless.

What in the hell kind of day would trap both men, between floors, with one another? Yokozawa hadn't wanted any contact with the kid until he'd come to better terms with the loss of his one-sided love. Onodera didn't want to be alone with the man who had all but threatened to kill him had anything happened to Takano.

/GG/

"What in the hell was that?" Yokozawa asked more for his benefit than the frightened younger man in the elevator with him.

"I…I'm not sure." Ritsu answered as he stood upright from the slightly tilted position he had previously been standing in. Onodera shook his head and tried to see, but the emergency lights were dim and made the space seem all that much smaller.

"Might have been an earthquake." The other stated. "Just what I need."

Yokozawa slipped his hand into his pocket to pull out his cell phone. There was no signal. He looked over at Onodera and cleared his throat, causing the man to fumble for his phone.

"I have no signal Yokozawa-san."

"Neither do I. Fucking fantastic." He pressed the intercom button and nothing happened. They were dead, figuratively that is.

Onodera took in a deep breath of air to keep his head from spinning and falling to the floor. It wasn't that being in enclosed spaces worried him, but when being trapped in said space was imminent, that was another story. He could feel the blood rushing from his face and he turned slightly, hoping that the older man didn't notice just show nervous he was. It was one thing to be trapped in an elevator, but it was another to be trapped with Yokozawa-san.

_Just fucking great. _Yokozawa thought as he started to pace the small elevator. _I just needed to have this day get worse. Now I am stuck in an elevator with the second to last person I would want to be stuck in an elevator with. No, make that the third. I don't want to be anywhere with Takano right now and if Kirishima were in here he'd want to make use of the alone time. At least this kid will leave me alone. _

He noticed Ritsu had pushed himself into a corner and was half crouching. For a moment he actually felt sorry for the brat; then he remembered what said brat had put him through and that pity vanished like a fart in the wind. At least neither were alone, that way if either one did go into panic mode there was someone else there to try and talk some sense into whoever freaked out first. The sales rep was not about to be the first to break down. Even if he was moving on he still wanted to show the other that he was stronger, for what it was worth.

/GG/

Even without a clock in the room Ritsu could hear the tick-tock of time passing by. How long had they been stuck? One hour? Two? Three? He couldn't even tell anymore, all he knew was that the walls were starting to close in on him; eat him like he were nothing more than a piece of food.

This thought caused his head to spin violently to the side and his eyes shoot open wide as bile came rushing up this throat and started leaking through the side of his mouth. He couldn't even cough; hell, he could barely breathe. The sound of Yokozawa calling to him barely registered.

Seeing the younger man in this manner was all Yokozawa needed to not have a panic attack of his own. Enclosed spaces were not his favorite thing either, but having someone to help was more than enough to help him overcome his own fears. He knelt next to Onodera, who looked about ready to pass out, and gently shook his shoulder.

"Oi, brat. Don't you dare pass out on me in here. It's too stuffy without adding all the dead heat into the mix."

Okay, so it wasn't exactly how he would have handled the situation if Hiyori were in the elevator with him, but at least he was giving a damn. In order to keep the other calm he spoke softly. This didn't work very well, as a moment after he started speaking Ritsu started to cough violently and then all but started shrieking at the top of his lungs like a siren.

Takafumi wanted to slap some sense into the younger man, but that would have caused an avalanche of issues after they got out of the elevator. So, instead, he sat down next to Onodera and rubbed the younger man's back with one hand while searching for something in his case with his other. After finding the paper bag he put it at Ritsu's face.

"You need to calm down and breathe into this. Take a deep breath in through your nose and then let it out in the bag. After that breathe in through your mouth and out through your mouth."

Ritsu nodded. He took one giant breath in and then followed Yokozawa's advice. It worked, like he knew it would and soon he felt himself calming down. That was when he became completely embarrassed and wanted to crawl into a hole and die as quickly as possible. Had he really just panicked in front of Yokozawa-san or had that been a dream?

"Take off your coat Onodera. It will make you cool down faster."

Far be it for him to try to keep the animosity going while stuck in an elevator. Yokozawa helped the editor strip from his coat and then placed it in the corner next to his own stuff. If they were going to be stuck in the elevator, might as well make the best of it.

/GG/

Both men sat in congenial silence for quite a while. The only sounds they heard were their own breathing and the occasional ruffle of clothes when one or the other moved slightly. Sporadically they started hearing bumps and clanks from outside the elevator. To Onodera it sounded like someone was speaking outside, but the sounds was so faint it could very well have been his imagination.

During the time of silence he had been able to calm down enough to allow himself to relax a little. Ritsu had never been in a situation like that before, so everything was new to him. Hopefully, god forbid, if such an occurrence happened again he could keep his cool. Even though he was no longer panicking, he was still embarrassed to high hell. Not to mention the person he had his lovely panic attack in front of happened to be the ex-lover of the man who was currently pursuing him like tomorrow as the end of the world. For some reason Takano was like a cat and his favorite brand of catnip was one Onodera Ritsu.

"Yokozawa-san?" The editor could no longer handle silence, it was deafening.

"What?" The other man snapped.

"I-I want to thank you for helping me just now." Ritsu lowered his head and didn't look at the other man. "I appreciate your taking the time to help me."

Yokozawa scoffed. "Did you think I was heartless enough to let you sit in this room and let you go bonkers? I'm stuck in here too. If you went crazy then I would have had to deal with it eventually."

Onodera nodded; that was fact. "Still, you were nice about it and I appreciate your help."

The sales rep nodded and yawned because of lack of air. "I had to do the same thing for Masamune once."

Ritsu perked up when he heard this. Takano-san had gotten so bothered he'd had a panic attack?

"Really?"

"This would have been right around the time he found out that the idiot he was dating in high school was engaged."

Blunt and to the point, the words pierced Onodera's heart like an arrow laced with poison. He was never going to live that down in this man's eyes. That thought actually made him sad.

"I am sorry." That was all he could say. How could anyone go back and make amends for something that had happened over a decade prior. He'd need a time machine to accomplish the feat even then it was more than likely Yokozawa would still hold him akin to a leper. "I know I can't change the past, but I really am trying to make amends in the present."

"What you and Masamune do now is none of my concern now."

"Th-that's not true." Ritsu stuttered. "You're Takano-san's friend." He looked over, hoping to be able to see the other man's eyes, which he didn't. "I don't want him to lose his friend."

"I'm not going to leave him, if that's what you are worried about. I am just taking some time to get over him." Yokozawa's eyes flew open as he realized who he was talking to. "Why the hell am I even telling you this?"

Ritsu understood how the older man felt, but he couldn't let the silence envelop them again. It was too painful to be sitting there quietly. The pain was eating away at his soul.

"I was fifteen when I confessed to Takano-san, accidentally because he caught me off-guard."

Takafumi looked at Onodera with a scowl. "And what makes you think I want to hear this story of yours?"

"I want you to hear my side of the story too because I don't think you have all the information you should." There was conviction in the voice as it reverberated throughout the box they shared. "Please just hear me out; you can hate me again after we get out of here."

The older man nodded. He understood the feelings going on within the other's head. He too was having a hard time concentrating.

"I assume you were told about how we met, and how I kind of stalked him, but after I left I am sure you aren't aware of what or why." Onodera didn't feel like he was making any sense, even to himself. "I want to tell you why I left, but I need to lead up to that point."

"Go on."

"Takano-san was the first person I had ever been with. I-I gave him all of me and I was so young I didn't realize what that meant. I was happy though."

Ritsu started to have short flashbacks of the time the two had spent together. Things like walking home with Takano-san, eating, reading in the library, making love. His face turned crimson at the thought.

"I guess I was so unaccustomed to what we were doing I was afraid I had gotten his and my intentions wrong. He was always so stoic and quiet. I never knew what he was thinking and it honestly scared me."

Yokozawa could understand, completely, where Onodera was coming from. Until Takano'd had his breakdown, he never spoke of pain, nor did he admit to what he was looking for. The breathing had turned into sex and that was the first time Yokozawa had been with a man too. It seemed Takano, who had been with a girl before Onodera, liked to be the first man for quite a few people. Yokozawa wondered if Onodera knew that Takano had not been a virgin when he and his junior had their love affair. It wasn't like it was his place to mention it, so he put it in the back recesses of his mind and let the thought vanish.

Onodera continued. "I really needed to hear him say something, anything to me, when we weren't attached to one another. So I asked him if we were…together."

"And?" Yokozawa knew what was coming up and still wasn't sure he would care.

"Yokozawa-san, have you ever asked a question you considered to be the most important question in your life, and then been laughed at?"

This question did bring back a memory of when he was around ten and he had asked his neighbor where babies came from. She had laughed at him and walked off with her friend at that point. He recalled the girl saying, "He must be an idiot if he's ten and doesn't know that yet." The laughing, followed by the comment had been devastating to the young Takafumi and he had all but ran into his room, threw himself onto the futon, and cried for hours. So yes, Yokozawa did understand where Ritsu was coming from.

"To me, asking him his thoughts was a huge step for me. Takano-san makes me very inarticulate, but I was able to ask, and he laughed at me."

No more actually needed to be said on the issue. Onodera could tell by the way Yokozawa had tensed beside him that the older man knew how the younger had felt. For some reason it felt good to get this specific demon off his chest, even though Ritsu knew he hadn't ever needed to defend himself. The reason, in his mind, aside from the fact that his senses were a little fucked because of their situation, was he wanted to get along with his (whatever Takano-san was) and that man's best friend.

"I left rather quickly after that. It felt like someone had ripped my heart from my chest and then danced on it while laughing while I died on the side of the road."

Maybe that was a little overdramatic at the age of 26, but to a teenage Ritsu, that just about summed the whole experience up in one sentence. In retrospect, it didn't seem to be nearly as big a deal now as it had been back in the day. Then again, most teenage angst didn't matter much once one reached adulthood.

/GG/

Yokozawa suddenly wanted the silence, but was denied. Ritsu couldn't stand the silence anymore and continued talking, even though the air had become so thick it was difficult to breathe. He just couldn't stand the silence anymore.

"What was Takano-san like when you met him?"

"Is it really necessary to continue speaking about him? I have accepted his choice and we are amiably working together. What is the point in trying to become friends when it's never going to happen?" Yokozawa snarled. In truth he didn't snarl because of the question, his head was getting light and since they had been trapped for over two hours (by his watch), the claustrophobia was starting to get to him.

"I want to know more about him." Ritsu admitted.

"Then ask him, why ask me?" Came the leering reply.

"I-I…don't…"

Yokozawa chuckled. "You still haven't admitted your feelings to him, have you? That's rich."

"I do love him!" Ristu snapped, a tear started streaming down his face, but because of the sweat also streaming down no one would have noticed. "But it's a lot harder to admit this time then it was before."

"Welcome to adulthood." He sighed. "I guess Masamune never really did want to admit his feelings when we were in college. He was such a private individual. I find it ironic that you can admit your feelings to me, the one who acted like a jackass, but you cannot admit your feelings to the one who is constantly admitting his feelings to you. Seeing you again has changed that man and I will be the first to admit it is for the better."

In his head Yokozawa was having a battle. _These god damn senses of mine are completely fucked. It's no wonder I am willing to talk about this with this man. Then again, maybe it was a long time in coming. Both of us deserve to hear each other out, for Masamune's sake at least. _

Onodera perked up and listened intently as the man opened up, slightly.

"I met Masamune when he was an undergrad in college. I was his senior and we hit it off early. I am sorry to admit I am the one who started him smoking, that is something I wish I could go back and change actually." It was now or never. Clear his conscious and move on since there was one man in the building who did love him.

"I started to fall for him, but he never really fell for me. He was so distant and withdrawn. That was when I took his cat; the man could barely take care of himself."

Yokozawa didn't even look at the younger man while he spoke. In his head he was shouting at himself to shut up, but being locked inside of a dimly lit room with horrible tasting air can make a person do some strange things. Like talk with no inhibitions.

"After his breakdown he started to improve. He worked, he lived, but he never really loved."

_How I wished he would have loved me. _The man thought. _ I would have given anything for Masamune to return my feelings. Even the few times we had sex he refused to be seme and 'take me' and 'make me his'. He said he couldn't do that anymore. God that hurt, to be told by the one I loved that he never wanted to make me his like I had made him mine. I guess he never really was mine though; he always belonged to someone else. _

He started to think about Kirishima instead. Here was a man more than willing to take, as he had on many occasions thus far, but maybe said man also wanted to be taken by Yokozawa. Takafumi had yet to seme Zen, maybe it was about time to change that.

/GG/

Hearing that Takano-san had never really loved hit Ritsu in a place he didn't even know he had. So that hadn't been a lie, that Takano had only ever loved him. Onodera could try to lie to himself and everyone else, but he'd never really loved anyone else either. He was embarrassed to admit that he had never even gotten far enough into a relationship to try and be intimate with someone else. Something was always holding the man back on the subconscious level.

"I always loved hanging out with Takano-san when we were young. Even though I couldn't really think, I always felt like I was safe." Ritsu stated softly.

"He has that affect on people, at least outside of work. Here he tends to be an asshole."

This sentence caused Ritsu to laugh. He hadn't expected to hear something like that come from anyone's mouth while on the job. Plus, he agreed with the comment wholeheartedly.

"I guess everyone has a different face at work than they do at home."

"People have multiple faces. Home and work would be just two. I see the way Masamune is with you and with me as two more faces that man wears. It's like he has multiple personality disorder."

Yet another point both men could agree on regarding Takano. It was amusing, to both, that the one think that linked them together caused them both to feel the same way. This was definitely a conversation that should have happened months prior.

"Did he ever tell you about his family?" Ritsu asked hesitantly.

"He never spoke of them unless he had to. His mother is remarried, as is his first step-father, I believe. Both were so wrapped up in themselves they never really took care of Masamune once he was capable of living on his own."

"It always scared me to go to his house." Ritsu whispered. "I could feel the animosity in the atmosphere, everywhere except Takano-san's bedroom." Then he blushed and lowered his head. "We spent most of our time in there anyway."

This caused Yokozawa to chuckle and then sigh. "He certainly taught you the ways of the adult world a little young, didn't he?"

Ritsu nodded. He never really thought about it, but because of the independence Takano-san had it was likely Ritsu wasn't his first. Onodera had a sheltered upbringing, whereas Takano had to grow up fast. It was no wonder they had jumped into adult relations so early on in their relationship.

Then Ritsu's heart jolted. _What if Takano-san loved me because he didn't have the love at home he wanted? Was I a substitute for that love? _Ritsu shook his head violently. _No, I can't think about the past. Whatever happened there needs to stay there. It's what got me into this mess in the first place._

"Don't be thinking stupid things now!" Yokozawa snapped. "I know you are thinking something you shouldn't be worried about anymore."

Onodera looked at the taller man with wide eyes. How had this man, someone he didn't even like as a person, known?

"I can tell you that Masamune cared more about you than he did anything else. He explained how one day you didn't come to school. How it made his heart all but break. Masamune then went around the school asking for you and no one could tell him anything. When he admitted what had happened to me he broke down into tears and cried uncontrollably. I found out after the fact that he had never been able to grieve your disappearance. You running off hurt him because he loved you."

Hearing the reprimand caused Ritsu to shudder with guilt. When it was put that way it was hard to process. He knew he'd hurt the older man, just as the older man knew he'd hurt him. Their love had been a big sand castle on the beach that had slowly eroded due to the tide. Now they had to build a new sand castle because the original was too far gone to save.

Yokozawa continued. "I understand how you felt and I can sympathize properly with you, but I can also sympathize properly with Masamune because I was there when he was building his life back up. I have my own life to worry about now, and another annoying man to take care of. I think we should call a truce Onodera."

Ritsu didn't know how to react to this bit of news. His brain wasn't quite working anyway due to the thick air and humidity that had taken hold because of both men sweating within the enclosed space. He did the only thing he could think of, he nodded in agreement.

No hands were shook, no documents were written. It was a mutual, verbal, understanding that the past would remain in the past and neither would look further back than that time they were stuck in the elevator. Friends they were not, but they could begin to not just act civil toward one another (which had been going on since Takano had confronted Yokozawa) but even respect one another's position more, both inside and outside the company.

/GG/

"Was Takano-san pushy in college too, or did that start before he met you?" Ritsu still didn't want there to be silence.

"He wasn't as dedicated then as he is now. Masamune takes his work seriously and I respect him in that regard."

"I have a hard time respecting someone who has pinned me to the sofa in the lounge and kissed me without my permission." Yet another time in which Onodera turned red while stuck in the elevator.

"Argh, I swear he really needs to work on not sexually harassing his subordinate at work. I am with you on that one." Yokozawa had a similar problem whenever Kirishima came to visit him and no one was around. The last time the two had ended up fucking on a desk and making one hell of a mess.

"This line of work must be hard on him though, so I guess I can understand he needs to vent his frustrations in some way."

"Fucking someone is not venting frustrations. Masamune is not harassing you to vent his frustrations; he's doing that because he wants to get a reaction out of you. If you let it happen and don't react then he knows it's a lost cause. When you react he knows he's hitting something inside of you, which to him means he has a chance. It's a screwed up way to get his answers, but since you are keeping your thoughts to yourself then he needed to come up with another way to see that you still care."

The hairs on the back of Onodera's neck spiked and he could feel his blood start to boil slightly. "That's a horrible way to get my attention!"

"He is a bastard, I will give you that." _When did I stop wishing he would do something like that with me?_

"I swear I don't think he ever aged after meeting me. He's still seventeen!" Ritsu seethed as if the information Yokozawa told him was new. In his head he probably already knew the reason Takano was being an ass and just didn't want to admit it.

"Let me let you in on a little secret, all people who are in love are teenagers, no matter what their physical age is."

_God damn it to fuck! Why am I openly talking like this? This isn't like me in the least. I feel light headed and now I want to vomit._

"Yokozawa-san?" Ritsu asked as the other man put his hands on his head and lowered himself to the floor. "Are you okay?" Ritsu sat on his knees above the man with a look of concern in his eyes.

_Why is it that I end up stuck in an elevator with this kid of all people, and open up to him when I can't even open up to the man I fuck…no…make love with on a regular basis?_

That question was never answered as the doors to the elevator were pried open and the light shone in, blinding the two occupants.

/GG/

Ritsu sat on a chair, wet from the sweat of sitting in the elevator, drinking an iced coffee. He was a little worried about Yokozawa, who was lying on his side on a sofa, covered in a blanket, and breathing erratically. It was a good thing they had gotten out when they did or he was sure the older man would have had his own panic attack and Ritsu was sure he wouldn't have been nearly as calm and helpful as the other was during his.

Lucky for both men, neither were there alone for long.

"Yokozawa!" Ritsu watched as Kirishima-san from Japun raced down the hallway like a bat out of hell. The older man fell to his knees next to the sofa and put an arm over the prone form of Yokozawa. "Are you alright? I came here as soon as I heard."

"I'm fine Kirishima. Just tired, wet, and in need of some alone time." Yokozawa stated.

"Can you walk?"

"Sure."

Kirishima pulled Yokozawa to his feet and walked off with him toward an empty conference room. The interaction between the two made Ritsu's heart melt, just a little.

"Onodera?"

Ritsu turned to see Takano-san rushing down the other hallway toward him. His heart actually leapt out of his chest that the sight. He was so surprised he almost dropped his drink on the floor, but that didn't stop a blush from creeping up on his cheeks.

Masamune knelt down in front of Onodera and put his hands on the younger man's shoulder. "Ritsu, are you okay?"

This wasn't his boss at work asking the question, it was his (whatever he was at the moment, lover?) asking the question. A tear started to form in his right eye and he quickly wiped it away, hoping the older man hadn't seen.

"I'm fine Takano-san." He said softly.

"Thank god." Takano embraced the man and placed a few kisses on Onodera's wet hair. "Let's get you home."

Onodera just nodded and let Takano pull him up. The younger didn't even try to remove his hand from where it was tightly wrapped within the larger hand of his superior's. Baby steps to admitting his feelings. One thing was for certain though; when it came to Yokozawa's feelings toward his lover, Ritsu understood where the other was coming from.

/GG/

"Yokozawa, are you sure you're okay. I think I should take you home." Kirishima Zen asked quietly as he watched his lover pace the much larger room.

"I am fine; I just needed to have some space. That elevator was small." Yokozawa growled slightly.

He looked at the older man who was his lover and the father of the child he had grown to love as well. Hearing the man run down the hallway toward him had set his soul on fire and he could feel a small smile form on his face. How he loved Kirishima.

"Maybe I'll go home and get ready for tonight." Yokozawa said, not the least bit shy. "You did say that Hiyori was out?"

Zen grinned. "Yes, we have the whole night to ourselves." He came up behind the man and wrapped him in a hug.

_I can do this. I can tell him what I feel in my heart. _"Can I make you mine tonight, then?" The request was so soft Yokozawa wasn't even sure he'd said it. He could feel Kirishima tense up behind him. At one time the older man had admitted that he'd love to have Yokozawa take him, but it had yet to happen.

"Are you sure?" The other asked equally as soft. Yokozawa nodded; there was no turning back now.

_That elevator really did fuck with my head. _He thought. _From now on I am taking the stairs. _

/GG/

Both men ended their ordeal wrapped in the embrace of the ones who loved them. Both men made love with their respective partners with renewed vigor and passion. Neither man would ever admit to themselves, or each other, that had they not been trapped in the elevator, the next step in both relationships might never have happened.


End file.
